Political tamasha

Political tamasha

For the man on the street, before the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party came as a whiff of fresh air, something haatke from the traditional parties. The biggies and experts wrote them off. But then the unthinkable happened – they formed a government – and the people got a change they were always hoping for.
But the euphoria stayed for only 49 days. And Arvind Kejriwal again did the unthinkable for the common man – he dumped the aam aadmi for his and his party’s bigger political ambitions.
In the 49 days in power, AAP created a hullabaloo leaving the mere aam admi all the more confused. If one day they seemed to be on the right track, the next day there was something amiss. They were seemed to be always on the fast forward mode handing out ultimatums -- sometimes of 24 hours and sometimes of 15 days.
But amid all these politicking, did anyone ask the aam aadmi what they really want? While one quit responsibility in 49 days, the others are busy in blame game, scoring brownie points for the upcoming polls.
The aam aadmi want a stress-free life where they get all the basic necessities of life without too much of a hassle.
Imagine a phase when you get uninterrupted water and power without skyrocketing charges.
When we go to market for our daily needs, inflation should not pinch our pockets.
When we move out from the comfort of our homes, the public transport modes should be comfortable enough to take us to our destinations like a sailing.
When we are late in office, we do not have to think twice about our safety before venturing out in the dark.
When every child gets the same quality education, no matter from whichever economic background they belong to.
When the youth can fly high with ample opportunities in whichever field they want to outshine.
When the health care sector is taken care of and the name of the hospital does not scare us.
When smooth roads and a clean surrounding are realities.
Before going to any government office, we are cent per cent sure that our job will be done and we do not have to wait endlessly.
No, the aam aadmi is not asking for too much. So when parties claim, they represent every commoner, the aam aadmi hopes for a change. Only to find the hopes dashed.

Enough entertainment in Parliament and legislative assembly sessions

Chaotic house

If you are bored by the ubiquitous, scripted reality shows, don’t be disheartened. Our dear leaders can provide you much more -- and real -- masala. Truly, watching Parliament and Legislative assembly proceedings is now becoming a new mode of entertainment.

It’s hard to digest that these are the elected representatives who reached sacred institutions that symbolise Indian democracy with people’s trust and hope.

A glimpse at any proceeding and the first word that comes to mind is CHAOS. Almost everybody is seen shouting and screaming at the same time, vociferously trying to make their own points as nobody seems to be interested in highlighting real issues.

In reality shows where people are packed in a house for months, one expects to see the inmates plotting and planning, and even fighting, each other for publicity. But when the same is repeated in a house of people, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and our heads hanging in shame.

The snatcher on the street or the robber lurking in the alley use knives to make their kill but here we see some MP feeling the need to take a knife to the House to demonstrate his power -- a stark reminder of the dark and lawless ages.

We have rights groups and NGOs advocating pepper spray to make women feel safer on the street, but here we see our leaders use it in Parliament with impunity to make a point.

When there is nothing in their bags, they go shirtless to be more visible.

And each time they go to the extent of coming to blows and using chairs and tables as their weapons, they stoop to a new low.

If we have the action men, there are some lazy bones who go to the house only to sleep or take a power nap. Only to be exposed when their colleague in front of them is on the mike or the camera pans on them. We cannot blame them as most politicians in our country are in their post-retirement phase.

The role of the speaker is really tough, trying desperately to bring order in the house. One cannot help but feel pity for the speaker who tries to control the class like a principal. The only difference: the class listens to the principal but our netas do not.

Cannot stop quoting Rishang Keishing, the 94-year-old MP from Manipur, the oldest serving parliamentarian in the world, who said on his last day while making a quiet exit: “Parliament now is not what it used to be. It’s only shouting and shouting.”

 

 

Discrimination against North-East

Ignorance about NE

 

 

As 19-year-old Nido Tania was beaten to death by some hooligans in the national capital because he protested their racial remarks, I as a north-easterner and many of my friends from the region feel outraged and ignored.

People from the northeast part of India, especially those who have Mongolian features, have always been the subject of ridicule in Delhi and so-called mainland India. Discrimination and strange queries ranging from the laughable to the absurd are daily features in their lives. It’s strange that though North-East is a part of India, people in other areas know so less about that region. Worse, there is no effort to even learn.

The first question that stumped me was at my first job interview in Delhi. “How come you are a Bengali and you are from North-East.” I had to explain, Indians have the right to stay anywhere in India and people from different communities are spread all across the country. And that northeast India is a mini-India by itself.

Sometimes people confuse between states too. Once a friend visited my place and I introduced her to my neighbour. And every time she comes, my neighbour asks me, “Your friend is from Mizoram right?” When I correct, “No Manipur”, pat comes the reply “wahi wahi”. I want to tell them make your facts right --- the seven North-East states are Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram. Now Sikkim is also the eighth and latest entrant to the northeast brigade.

Here I found a connection with people from down south, when we generalise them by referring to people from all southern states as south Indians or even ‘Madrasis’.

Another common comment is on the food habits of north-easterners --- that they eat anything and everything and that dogs are not found in the region for obvious reasons and then the ‘lol’. For them my answer would be, mind your own tongue. And these same people cannot resist and relish on momos from the North-East. This conversation I overheard when a group of youngsters were having their share of laugh over north-easterners at the food corner of a mall.

Much like of the perception of people from the Western nations that India is a land of snake charmers, many Indians are of the view that the North-east is nothing but a jungle. A junior colleague of mine once asked: “You are taking a flight? Is there any airport? For your kind information, there are airports in most North-East states and one international airport in Assam.

Another surprising question from many which never fail to amaze me is, “Why so many people study only in Cotton College, is that the only college?” My dear friends, there is no dearth of colleges in North-East but Cotton College is the leading one. Like most Delhiites and people from around the region study in DU.

Looks again is a favourite topic. A police officer in Bangalore recently commented: “They all look the same.” A general and derogatory perception shared by people from so-called ‘mainland India’. Want to tell these people that there are all sorts of people in North-East and people with small eyes just look beautiful.

Many say people from the North-East stay in groups and they do not want to mix with others. Visit North-East and you will be amazed by the warmth, hospitality and soft nature of the people.

We complain when Indians face discrimination outside. But look at our backyard, it needs so much cleaning. And that does not need a policy change. It just needs a positive attitude to accept others as they are.

No doubt the spectacular beauty of North-East is just breath-taking. But want to tell the Government that just broadcasting ‘Incredible North-East’ ad is not enough. Both the Governments at the Centre and the states should work hard to attract tourists and allow people to explore the unexplored virgin North-East. Know and let know the region better!

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Ignorance about NE is breeding discrimination....Published in Hindustan Times edit page, Delhi

Published in Hindustan Times edit page, Delhi

Ignorance about NE

After the upsetting news of the recent mob violence against African nationals in Delhi came out, I, a Northeasterner, and many of my friends from the region, feared that we would be next on the hit list of those who are intolerant to cultures that are different from their own. The murder

of a young student from Arunachal Pradesh, Nido Taniam, in Lajpat Nagar, on Thursday night only proved our fears right.

If the Ugandans and Nigerians are routinely jeered at in Delhi, people from the Northeast, especially those with Mongoloid features, are in no better a situation.


Discrimination and strange queries are daily features of our lives. Africa is still a different part of the world (though that does not justify the daily humiliation its people face in India), but it’s strange that though the Northeastern states are a part of the country, people in other states know so little about that region and its people.

Worse, there is even very little effort on their part to know us and the states.

My first job interview in Delhi went like this: "You are a Bengali. So how come you come from the Northeast?" I had to explain the obvious: Indians have the right to stay anywhere in the country and that the Northeast is also home to people from different parts of the country.

Many don’t even know that there are seven states in the Northeast, with Sikkim being the eighth and latest entrant in the group. In fact, people from the so-called mainland India also tend to categorise people from the southern states either as ‘South Indians’ or ‘Madrasis’.

There is also many misconceptions about the food habits of Northeasterners. Much like the perception of people from the West that India is still a land of snake charmers, many Indians think that the Northeast is nothing but a jungle and that people there eat everything and anything.
We loudly complain when Indians face discrimination outside the country but we are no better.

Only State policies cannot change mindsets. The central as well as the state governments must do more than broadcasting advertisements about ‘Incredible North-East’. Together, they need to encourage non-Northeasterners to explore and understand the Northeast.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/analysis/ignorance-about-ne-is-breeding-discrimination/article1-1179597.aspx

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Encounter with Om Puri and Divya Dutta, Delhi, Published in Jagran Cityplus, Delhi

Encounter with Om Puri and Divya Dutta, Delhi, Published in Jagran Cityplus, Delhi

Back to the beginning    

After long and eventful journey in cinema, Om Puri is back to where he started. Well, quite literally. The veteran actor is making a comeback to where he all began decades ago – theatre.

Just one day before his comeback Punjabi play, Teri Amrita, was staged in Delhi, the media fraternity gathered at press club for an informal interaction with the actor. I was one of those lucky few.

A return to an intense medium like theatre after more than two decades can give jitters to anybody. And that includes even Om Puri, considered one of the few complete ‘actors’ in Indian cinema and who started his career with theatre.

“Yes, I am nervous like a swimmer who has seen water after many years. That is the reason I chose a simple play with a lot of emotions and a Punjabi play because it is my mother tongue,” he is frank enough to admit.

“First, the focus is on Amrita (the female lead) and then it fades and comes on me (Zulfi).”

Divya Dutta, who is playing the female lead in the play directed by Om Puri himself, was present to promote their venture.

Sharing her experience and feeling on being able to work with Om Puri, Divya says, “I always knew Om Puriji as an actor. And working under him as a director and co-actor was a double treat. Each individual perceives things differently. I remember after I enacted one of my scenes, Om Puriji also enacted the same scene for me and we were in tears.”

Theatre, Om Puri feels, has evolved a lot compared to 25 years back, and so has the audience. “Theatre is growing. Before, it was like why buy a ticket to watch a play? It’ll be good if passes can be arranged. But now things have changed. Theatre is like classical music.”

He says plays should be made in the language which people understand. “How many people will come if a play is made in Sanskrit?”

What brings him back to theatre after so many years? “My grey hair,” he says with a smile.

Character actors are seldom given meaty roles and this is one reason he has strayed away from cinema. “I have stopped doing whichever films came my way. I had done a lot of them in the past to fulfil life’s necessities. I remember, I got Rs 9,000 for Aakrosh and Rs 25,000 for Ardh Satya.”

Asked about his favourite theatre director, he names Ibrahim Alkazi, his first guru. “I was honoured when we received the guru shishya award from a news channel.”

Om Puri gets nostalgic when he recalls his journey. “My theatre journey began as a teenager when I was spotted by a director of Punjab Kala Manch during a college play. I got the best actor award and he asked me to join him. When I told him I work as a lab assistant in my college and get Rs 125 monthly, he offered me Rs 150. I went with him and learnt the nuances of acting.”

Puri also lists Shyam Benegal as one of his favourite directors, saying, “He is like encyclopaedia to me.”

As we all know, Om Puri acted in films, television and theatre and so I was curious to ask him what was his first love? And the reply is very prompt, Doordarshan. “I acted in a television series ‘Tamas’. In one night, one crore people watched it together. It became popular overnight and people used to wait for that programme. Doordarshan has the maximum reach even in rural areas, the real India.”

Shifting the focus to present day films, he feels even though Indian cinema has come a long way, there is a vast scope for improvement on the technical side. “We have a lot to do to meet international standards. But, yes, nowadays NSD pass-outs get a lot of respect in the film industry. During our times, people hardly knew about NSD, not even in Mumbai.”

Doing serious roles for decades, Om Puri generally comes across as a serious personality. But there’s lighter side to him too. Sharing a funny experience with his friend and NSD classmate Naseeruddin Shah, he recalls: “We both were stupid. We thought why should we learn dance and music when we were actors? Maybe, we did not understand that music helps in developing voice variation. Finally, when exam day came we were asked to perform a Punjabi song together and the end result was we scored 17 out of 50.”

He is quick to defend his friend on his controversial remarks. “Once, a journalist asked me to comment on Naseeruddin’s comment that he regrets doing art films. I explained that he says something and wants to say something else. We are recognised because of art films. Otherwise, with such looks we would have got negligible roles like standing behind the main villains as his henchmen.”

He also goes on the defensive when asked to comment on the controversial remarks he had made at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi during Anna Hazare’s protest, where he had referred to politicians as “gawars” and “nalayaks”. “I didn’t say anything wrong. May be, the way I said it was not appropriate. I will be careful with the choice of words in the future.”

Puri has a lot of expectations from the play. “We want not only theatre aficionados but also others come and happily buy tickets and enjoy our play.”

After devoting so many years in acting, any plans to teach young talent? “We have Majma Theatre Group that gives chance to talented people. But I am not going to open any school.”

Om Puri has done a lot of political comedies and so did the thought of becoming a neta ever come to his mind and if so did he ever try? The veteran actor replies wittingly: “Never got the opportunity. But I would never begged for any role in politics, nevertheless.”

Turning on a more serious note, he says every person has his/her own contribution to society but there are more who are out to destroy than to preserve.

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Interview with Zubeen Garg in Mumbai, published in North East Sun, Delhi

Interview with Zubeen Garg in Mumbai, published in  North East Sun, Delhi

My people are my biggest inspiration: Zubeen Garg

 

Ya Ali may have catapulted him to the big league of Hindi film music world, but that doesn't mean Zubeen Garg is taking it easy. For, rising in the popularity charts means he shoulders a much bigger responsibility now – to maintain the position. Even he knows nothing is permanent in Bollywood.

How has life changed after Ya Ali? "It's more hectic. I'm tired of travelling abroad and in India. It's tough to balance," says Zubeen.

Right now, Zubeen is working on several projects, including preparing music for two Hindi films, readying his new Hindi album, singing in Hindi and South Indian films. He has something for Assam as well. It's an album titled Mur Prio Geet, a remake of old popular Assamese songs.

His Hindi album Zindagi evoked wide-spread response and crossed platinum, means it sold more than 4 lakh of copies.

Besides music, Zubeen is an actor-director too and he's working in this direction too – a truly multi-faceted personality. "For direction, I' m writing my Hindi script Chakra. I want to start shooting in December."

Now that he is a known face in Mumbai, how does it feel? "It feels great to represent Assam nationally and internationally."

This dream boy also has a dream, "to do a song with Sting, Kenny G, Joe Satriany and Eric Clapton someday."

Reality shows are something that don't attract Zubeen too much though he did have to go at one such show in Sahara TV and quit after initial episodes. He also judged a singing show in Zee Bangla. But why did he really quit the Sahara show? "I didn't like the show. I never wanted to get in a contest. I liked Zee Bangla because I was a judge there. People shouldn't try to use artists."

Zubeen's musical journey started right from his childhood. He was in nursery when he started humming under the tutelage of his mother, his first guru. After his matric, Zubeen started playing keyboards and composing songs. "I wasn't sure about singing but I wanted to be a music director." In 1993, he released his first album Anamika, which went on to become a huge hit. And there was no looking back.

In 1995, Zubeen decided to try his luck in Mumbai. Initially, he faced some problems as he was alone. "Gradually I made contacts and people started calling me for work," says Zubeen.

Ask Zubeen the difference between Mumbai and Assam and he says, "Assam is my place and I have good hold there. In Assam, I can experiment according to my wishes. But in Mumbai, I have to be careful what I do."

He says language barrier is one reason why many talented Assamese singers find it difficult to set foot Mumbai. "We are from a simple background. Language is also a barrier for some. We also don't have an Assamese promoting company here. But slowly it's gaining momentum."

Zubeen thinks his biggest achievement to date is his popularity in Assam. "The way people love me is really wonderful. It keeps me going strong," he says.

And what about acting? "Cinema was my all time love. I took time to get into it because I wanted to know it totally. I love acting and it's in my blood." He has acted in Assamese film Mon Jai. His film Dinobandhu has won a national award. "I'm going to make some real good movie," he says.

Inspiration? And pat comes a reply. "My people are my biggest inspiration. My close friends and my family inspire me a lot."

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Lakme Spring Summer Collection, 2008 in Mumbai, Published in North East Sun

Lakme Spring Summer Collection, 2008 in Mumbai, Published in North East Sun

FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA

 

The Lakme Fashion Week Spring/Summer Collection'08 was more than just a gathering of the glitterati and hi-flying fashionistas. It was serious business blended with a strong commitment to social causes.

When I got the invite for another season of Lakme Fashion Week, I was rather skeptical – after all, fashion week after fashion week can be a bit too much even for the most ardent fashion aficionado. But when I landed up at Mumbai's NCPA, where the event was organised, and as the days went by, I was surprised: this season of the LFW had actually much more to offer than was thought. Another fashion week before the hangover of the previous one gets over can tend to get monotonous. But, every time, the organisers as well as the designers – both established and emerging – managed to do their bit to present something different and new.

This season's uniqueness was the social theme – the effort by some of the designers to get through messages and causes associated with them. Right from helping the block printing community to eradication of illiteracy, the LFW Spring/Summer 2008 had it all.

If Gen-Next designer Bijoya Mukherjee used the opportunity to raise the cause of Rajasthan's block printing community with her 'Tryst with fundamentals' collection, Agnimitra Paul highlighted the dying kantha style of embroidery with her theme, 'Stitch Story-The Kantha Tale', and paid tributes to the kantha artisans by taking the bow with two of them on stage.

Then, there was master designer Narendra Kumar, whose day 3 collection was titled 'Freedom with Literacy' – an effort to blend education with style. And just like his glittering men's bridal wear, Kumar's social theme also made an impression with the audience. Environment and global warming were the themes of Gayatri Khanna, Ekta Jaipura and Ruchira Kandhari, who laid emphasis on eco-friendly organic fabric.

If social issues made an impact, the kid's-wear special by Gini and Jony and Rocky S was a surprisingly pleasant treat and proved that children's wear will never be the same again.

Think of kid's wear with attitude and style and Freedom Fashions by Gini and Jony comes to the mind. The show started with trendy jeans for a strong fashion statement. Denims came in shapes, sizes and designs with fun embellishments like patches, prints and detailing. The accompanying shirts were striking in khaki with the military look. The girls' section was full of pretty little pink shirts, skirts, knits with all the little ornaments which little girls love to own – tiny bags, shoes, hair, perky accessories and colours for mix and match clothes.

After dressing up the Bollywood brigade, Rocky S' collection for Gini and Jony gave kids a new fashion angle. His designs had the elegance and the excitement to take children's wear up the fashion ladder. For the girls, Rocky has dreamt up a line of ivory panelled skirts with gold braiding and tiny pleated hemlines worn with short knit tops or tie up cholis. For the guys, it was sharply cut jackets in white or denim cut close to the body in the latest silhouette. With Gini and Jony and Rocky S teaming up to dress the kids, a fashion revolution that will rock Gen-Next with their style seem in the offing.

The preview of the Pakistan Fashion Week was an added delight. Garments of several designers, including Sonya Battla and Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, were showcased. Sonya and Hassan are known for their stylishly crafted garments that reflect a fusion of Pakistan's sensibilities with western silhouettes. Men's wear had trendy jackets juxtaposed with long regal sherwanis embroidered with peacock motifs and kurtas with traditional embellishments. Women's wear ranged from long sensuous gowns with beautiful ornate necklines, to chiffon halter dresses.

The Lakmé Fashion Week, which catapulted Mumbai amongst the fashion capitals, had 54 designers and 12 sponsors for this season for their Spring/Summer Collection'08. This year's line-up had exciting names such as Falguni and Shane Peacock, Arjun Khanna, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Narendra Kumar, Neeta Lulla, Wendell Rodricks and Vikram Phadnis. Ace designer Manish Malhotra presented the 'Grand Finale' collection. This year, Gitanjali Lifestyle, Levi's, Allen Solley, Aza, Freedom Fashion by Gini and Jony, Portico, Chivas, NCPA, The Taj President, Nikon, Peroni, Hitachi, Giordano and Buzz18.com shared the stage with Lakme Fashion Week.

Opulence, grandeur, beauty, and dazzle came together for the opening show, as Gitanjali Lifestyle and famed designer Neeta Lulla presented one of the most stunning ramp shows. The presentation opened with a romantic sequence by ace dancer Sandip Soparkar, who set the mood for the sizzling show.

Narendra Kumar's men's wear show was one the delightful highlights of the week – from the start of the 'Nan Khatai' band walking down the ramp playing a popular bridal tune; it was evident that the show was going to be a festive one. Western bridal wear with an Indian touch was the theme and adding to the glitter was Bollywood hot boy John Abraham who made several appearances on the ramp to an excited audience, which included his flame Bipasha Basu. Narendra chose a collection of fabrics ranging from printed silk, brocade, chino, corduroy, velvet and very shimmering specially coated linen for the ornate look.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee's formal and bridal wear collection was another attraction. Shararas, lehengas, floor length angarkhas, kurtas, kurtis, waist coats with shawl lapels, glittering dupattas and odhnas, shimmering flowing pajamas, saris in all their ethnic splendour – the show had everything and much more in terms of fabrics, prints, embellishments and glitter. The finale creation – a black multi-panelled patterned silk lehenga with exquisite glittering embroidery worn with a glittering blouse and odhani – was the ultimate bridal offering as singer Sukhvinder Singh ended the show on a high note.

Then came Bolywood dresser Vikram Phadnis. From the gentle twittering of birds to the soothing spiritual music, Phadnis's show was an eternal journey of fashion. He chose the most fabulous silks in solids, checks and stripes; added multicoloured floral and geometric motifs on the hemlines, sleeves necklines and bodice and came up with a story book of Indian textiles that will make a brilliantly colourful offering for the summer. Silk, glitter, embroidery and Vikram Phadnis's creative touches came together to give the Indian woman new options for formal wear this season.

The finale was equally grandiloquent with Manish Malhotra presenting his Winter couture 2007 collection, inspired by Lakme's Freespirit. The theme of the show was La Belle Epoche for a collection that had touches of the Art Nouveau era. With DJ Pearl rocking the stage with his variety mix of music, a jam-packed hall of Bollywood biggies and the hi-flying club of Mumbai making its presence felt, the final show had all the trappings of a Bollywood event. Lakme's four beautiful faces for the Freespirit range – Indrani Dasgupta, Raima Sen, Amrit Maghera and Vipasha Agarwal looked radiant as they sashayed down the catwalk wearing the beautiful creations by Manish Malhotra.

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